The Journey Into Darkness: Pokemon Reborn
by PKMN Trainer Hilda
Summary: Hilda isn't from Reborn, but her demeanor suits the ravaged region. From the onset this journey will be trying on her body, mind, soul, and her Pokemon. She'll bleed, sweat, and endeavor in ways she wouldn't have even been aware of. Reborn City will spit in her face, take her lunch money, knock her down, and kick her while she's on the ground. Tough enough for the abuse?


_A/N: Pokemon Reborn is a fanmade game (by Amethyst) of, well, Pokemon. I would suggest looking up the game and playing along yourself if you want to understand that setting behind this story. For a personal review, I'll start with saying the game has two things 1) the level of delicious masochistic difficulty "real Pokemon Masters" take pride in. 2) The kinds of dark twist that make a good story, and 3) numerous bouts of frustration._

_Leggo._

_..._

Hilda glanced out of the train car into the looming down the tracks, listening to the league director, Ame, with what would look, at first glance, like disinterest. The actual explanation to her appearance was that she had been travelling for a couple of days from her home region of Hoenn, she had one lazy eye, and her learning style had absolutely no need for eye contact. It seemed to her as if Ame understood, because she at that point hadn't bothered to ask, or at worst, accused Hilda of being inattentive or uncaring.

What Hilda did understand was that Ame was the league director of the Reborn region, that the region was in a sort of post-apocalyptic state that was unseen in any other area of the planet, and that the number of indigenous Pokemon in the region was in a steep decline. She also understood that she (Hilda) had no real reason for leaving Oldale Town, just an hour's walk away from the renowned Professor Birch and the Littleroot Pokemon Lab to begin her journey, for the abominable state that was Reborn

Secretly though, she did. Ame was packing all 18 starter Pokemon. At least that's what the travel agency in Lilycove printed in that advertisement. Hilda wasn't going to get her hands on a Chespin in Hoenn. She didn't care if her parents thought that was too shallow a reason to justify leaving her home. Actually, she didn't care about a lot of things that were associated with a happy, serene place. Utterly devoid of pristine conditions? Hilda considered that a personality trait that was worth having. Hilda considered herself "broken" and a "non-conformist", and in Hoenn, being happy along with the other obnoxiously happy people just didn't jive well.

"So..." the fair-haired league official began. "What is your name? I don't think referring to you as 'challenger' throughout your adventure would'nt be very appropriate, and I have to ask you eventually anyway when filling out your registration data."

"It's Hilda." the blonde traveler replied. The train began to screech to a halt.

"Ah, alright. Well, This is the Peridot Ward, the Registration Hall for the Lea-"

It turns out, the adventure was going to begin with a bang. Not the good kind either.

...

"Hey! Are you coming to, Hilda!?" A woman beckoned in haste as the light began to return. Hilda noticed that she was familiar, and that something had caused a scar to caress her right eye. By the looks of it, recently. She also could smell fire, which after a few seconds of regaining her senses, was now reflected across Ame's roughed-up face. Hilda tilted her head to the source of the light to see that the train station and the train that she had just been on before being knocked into a coma was engulfed in flames.

"Well, that was...terribly inconvenient." The blonde trainer-to-be stated in blank shock.

"Don't worry, you still have all your limbs...and you're still alive. Most of the damage took place in the back of the train. It seems as if the station was bombed."

Hilda picked herself up off the ground, and noticed Ame turn to what she assumed was one of her associates. The woman approaching hastily was wearing yellow cheerleader garb, had green locks that were perfectly straight and held in a ponytail, and hosted a worried expression.

"Julia, what did you do?" Ame asked calmly, but insinuatingly. Hilda was confused by this, because the newcomer didn't look like she would be involved with a bombing at all.

"This wasn't me! I heard something go BOOM and I ran here pronto! Are you two alright!?"

"Yes, We're fine-...Ah. Well Hilda, I can't help you get registered for the league after all, but I can point you in the right direction. Go west from here and you will reach the Opal Ward, were the registration hall is. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go. We have apprehended the bomber already." Ame stated and rushed off, leaving Hilda with the cheerleader, which was not exactly the scenario the blonde would have wanted.

"So...you're challenging the League, right?"

"...No." Hilda lied, hoping to be evidently dismissive. The attempt failed.

"WHAT!? But, you must-...wait, why would Ame direct you to the registration hall? Nevermind. Why you must? I'm the electric Gym Leader, of course! My gym is right here in the Peridot Ward, so I'll be expecting you reeeeeal soon!" the woman chirped, practically skipping off to where a couple of guards were posted nearby. The two policemen let her pass.

...

"DAMN it! Now how the hell am I supposed to get home!"

"So, you were on the train? So was my fiancee...You were the lucky one."

"I can't get back home until these blasted guards clear the road! It shouldn't last long though."

Secretly, Hilda was enjoying every bet of the solemn aire the place gave off. She silently drank in the pain, anger, and shock those that were making the exclamations and addressing her were emitting with mild interest. It wasn't that she was a sadistic individual, but the world around her was unfolding just as her dreams had convinced her it would. As a pokemon trainer, the sandbox Hilda was about to traverse concealed the daggers and needles of real maturity. The edge was satisfying. Being uninviting was something Hilda wanted her journey to be. If you were going to be the best there ever was, you have to grow in the worst there ever was.

She climbed the steps of the giant, domed structure that was the registration hall to see the entrance blocked by a girl in a black furisode dress, adorning the ying-yang symbol on the right tasset. Her hair was jet-black and her expression was serene. She appeared to contrast with the filth, smog, destruction, and uncertainty of her surroundings. Apparently her name was Victoria, and she hailed from the Apophyll Academy, a trainer's school that was renowned for it's stressing of meditation and dojo-esqe demeanor. Hilda entered the giant hall along with Victoria to find Ame, who had either dealt with the culprit of the station bombing with relative swiftness, or had been given some time to help her out with registration after all.

After a brief conversation with Victoria, who apparently was an experienced trainer already and was sent by an undisclosed entity known as "Kiki" to compete in the league in order to grow in some way, Ame led Hilda behind the registration desk and behind the stairs to the basement. In it were three long counters, on which Pokeballs were presented by type. The brochure was spot on, and the trainer-to-be was going to be able to choose from any "beginner's" pocket monster from the acclaimed Kanto region to the fashionable Kalos region. When Ame gave her the nreen light, the choice wasn't time consuming in the slightest. She walked to the far end of the green counter - labled GRASS - and selected Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokemon.

Upon releasing her new partner, Hilda noticed that her Chespin had the look of determination across it's face, and landed on the waxed floor already in a defensive position.

"That Chespin has the "Bulletproof" ability. In my opinion, that ability is very handy. It's also a very rare for a Chespin to have such ability. However, i was under the impression that you would go for the Froakie."

"Why is that?" Hilda questioned the league directer with unusual attentiveness.

"Because the hidden ability Froakie has is Protean, which allows for Froakie to change it's typing to the type that the move it is using. This allows for it to get Same-Type Attack Bonus on any move it can learn. From our discussion on the train, you seemed to be keen on breeding and raising Pokemon so that it may be as formidable as any pokemon in it's species could be."

"Oh. You see, Ame, I only read that somewhere. I've grown attached to having my first companion be a Chespin ever since the Chespin line was discovered. While I may know a few tricks about raising Pokes, I don't want to just raise them. Pokemon are not just tools for our own gain. If I had that mindset, I probably would have picked that Froakie. Being the very best isn't about being able to best every Pokemon Trainer there ever was. I have a feeling that there will be a time when defeat comes, even after accomplishing a feat any where remotely like that. Therefore, I want to start my journey by befriending a Pokemon, not by training it."

Ame just grinned.

"C'mon, We can't keep Victoria waiting."


End file.
